The Melancholia Experiment
by Crimson Spider Lily
Summary: Welcome to the Melancholia Experiment, a very special project by the Crescent Association. This venture is an ambitious and important one that will test the limit of its participants' psyche. As our benefactors, we encourage you to watch our experiment unfold, as you will be given a front row seat to its events. Please, enjoy.
1. 0-1

Welcome to the Melancholia Experiment by the Crescent Association!

We are very enthused by your participation in this project! After all, you were handpicked amongst a large number of contenders to participate in this very special experiment.

Your future contribution to our project is greatly appreciate and will go down in history, as will this very experiment.

As you might have deduced beforehand, the Melancholia Experiment is a grandiose and ambitious project that is also of great importance and that will leave an indelible mark not only on the scientific community, but also on history and the mind of everybody. It will endure the test of time and will captivate the masses till the end of time, and even beyond.

Below, the info regarding the terms and conditions are joined, as a reminder if needed as well as for those who might have missed them in for a reason or another.

The coordinates are not, as you already are here. However, directions to the Auditorium are provided, since you shall report there upon awakening.

As said, your participation to this experiment is greatly appreciated, willing or not. Either way it will go down as the greatest experiment in History. And we are looking forward to your personal contribution and journey within it as well as to experiment on you, of course.

We wish you an enjoyable stay here.

With sincere thanks,

The Crescent Association

 **A/N: Hi everybody! Sorry for the short prologue, trying to stay mysterious by unveiling almost nothing is hard. Anyway! I had this idea since a while now and it really occupied my mind. I kept thinking of lots of ideas for this story and whatnots, therefore I eventually decided to just write it so I can be free of all of those. For clarification, the concept is basically them joining, willingly or not, this big experiment that will wound up being the Killing Game. All the motives will be different experiments they will have to go through, which is something to keep in mind for the form. Also, as a fair warning, the rating might change from T to M, depending, which would most likely be due to violence. Just thought I'd warn about it in case it affects some people. Also, this is pretty horror inspired, so there's that. Although the genres I put are horror and mystery, there will most likely be some comedy to lighten up at times.**

 ** _UPDATE_ : Finaly, the cast list is here! I've received many submissions and I had to cut the list down to what is a 20 OCs cast. Thank you all for submitting, I've enjoyed reading every submissions that you have sent my way, even if it didn't get in. Without further ado, let's get to that cast list!**

 **CAST LIST**

Bedelia Sheridan - Ultimate Toymaker

Casper Clarke - Ultimate Paranormal Investigator

Ceazar Romano - Ultimate Freerunner

Charity Petulengro - Ultimate Alethiologist

Chie Murakawa - Ultimate Psychologist

Declan Wynn - Ultimate Grocer

Eichi Isomottonen - Ultimate Formula One Racer

Elvi MacRae -Ultimate Naval Architect

Emerald Snow - Ultimate Baker

Juliette Beaulieau - Ultimate Calligrapher

Kasumi Murakawa - Ultimate Con Artist

Leviticus Callahan - Ultimate Arbalist

Leyla Aydamirova - Ultimate Poet

Mical Barzilai - Ultimate SFX Artist

Nameera Al-Kaleel - Ultimate Devote

Paris Bonnefoy - Ultimate Newspaper Journalist

Romeo Descartes - Ultimate Columnist

Tara Anaya Misra - Ultimate Bollywood Makeup Artist

Teco Valencia - Ultimate Paintball Player

Yuliya Sokolova - Ultimate Rhythmic Gymnast


	2. 0-2

**Hi and welcome to this pretty short chapter, which is a prologue-prologue of sorts. We'll say it's multipurposed as it gives a look into how I write, we get a short very small look at the protag and a peek into whatever this is honestly and it also allows the story to be bumped back at the top of the feed for visibility and some more submissions. Talking about those, thank you for everybody who submitted! It's very appreciated.**

 **But yeah, looking forward to some more submissions, they're still closing on December 12th at 11h59 EST. Be sure to read and follow the rules and whatnots.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

A camera whirred as it focused on a light blue-haired girl carefully poking her head out of a room, looking around, before fully exiting into the blindly white hallway. She seemed slightly confused, but too tired to care as she threaded down the corridor, rubbing her light purple eyes as she yawned, a red jacket hanging around her elbows. The camera could picked up the sound of the black chunky high heel of her ankle-high glitter red boots repeatedly hitting the floor as she advanced. The camera followed her until she was out of view, another one picking up her movement instead, changing the feed of the screen that a person was boredly watching.

They themselves yawned before taking a walkie-talkie and pressing the button, talking into the device.

"Test Subject 13's out and about."

"What about the roomate? Test Subject 12 wasn't it?" crackled the walkie-talkie.

"Nah, dunno where the fuck that one is." responded the person, leaning their cheek against their hand. "I have fallen asleep earlier though, so maybe it got out then. Not my job to look over that one, anyway."

"Sleeping on the job, huh, Carpenter? Can't blame you. Hopefully, now that they're awake, things will finally get interesting."

"It better be, with all we've prepared, and everything we've done to get here." sighed the person as their eyes continued to follow the girl as the feed changed from camera to camera, following her movements. "Seems like she missed the auditorium memo…."

Sighing, the person took tablet, which also displayed the same feed as the screen, throwing their empty cup of coffee in the trash as they headed for the door, yawning.

"Who's in charge of test subject 12 again? Wan?"

"Ain't it Craven?"

"Dunno, will have to check. I'm going to get a new cup of coffee and some snacks."

"You mean you're going to try and to chat up Raimi again. More obvious than that and you'd die!" The walkie-talkie crackled as the person laughed heartily.

"What about you test subject, Hooper? They woke up yet?" responded Carpenter, as they walked toward the cafeteria, barely paying attention as they sporadically looked at their tablet.

"Trying to change the subject aren't you? He's where he's supposed to be, the auditorium, waiting like an angel. Unlike you, who is not where you're supposed to be since you're trying to go and seduce a coworker by… I don't know, staring at them? Not the best tactic bud."

"Shut up, I don't just stare at Raimi, I talk to them too." smiled Carpenter as they operated the coffee machine.

"Well-"

"Every employees shall report to the main control room. The Melancholia Experiment is about to officially begin. I repeat - "

Carpenter's smile widened as he heard the announcement, grabbing their new cup of coffee before heading toward the mentioned room, Hooper's voice crackling from the walkie-talkie.

"Guess you'll see her soon anyway."

"What's important is that this is finally gonna fucking started. Long time coming."

replied the monitor, sneaking a look at his tablet to see that the girl had finally entered the auditorium. They chuckled as they pushed the doors to the main control room, hearing their colleague laugh through the static.

"Long time coming indeed. Time to make them suffer."


	3. 0-3

**So hi people, here is a chapter I guess. The intros chapters will be divided in 3, if you wanted to know. I don't know what to say. Anyway, I appreciate some constructive feedback, don't be mean, I do that to myself already. Tell me if I totally missed the mark or was around it in the portrayals of your OCs as they appear. Tell me what you think in general of these characters, the writing, setting, the chapter as a whole, whatever. Sorry if this is short, but long ass chapters isn't my forte, so you won't see extra long chapters from me, nor is re-reading myself since I just start hating on everything and nothing would ever be finished as a result.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 _Beeeep beeeep beeep_

Pale violet eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing again as a groan resounded. A hand tentatively tried to find a button to press and stop the incessant noise, to no avail.

A voice resounded, slightly intelligible, but the person paid no mind to it, choosing instead to ignore the alarm and the voice, falling back into deep slumber.

An another alarm sounded off, forcing the person to finally get up, rubbing their eyes as the brightness of the room assaulted her senses. She yawned heavily before stretching her arms, blinking rapidly to adjust to the bright light. She looked around the room, taking in her unusual environment.

The walls were a pure white and seemed to be floor was made of old white tiles while the white ceiling sported bright neons, which shone almost blindingly. The girl was currently resting in a stark white bed, the exact replica of another stored in the opposite corner of the room. In front of the two beds, a giant black screen was encased within the wall, seeming as if there was nothing but a void within the sea of white.

The girl stood up, stretching some more as her feet hit the ground, causing a clicking sound. Surprised, she took one of her feet into her hand, realising that she wore high-heeled boots, it's red glitter surface reflecting the light beautifully. Its chunky heel was the cause of the sound, which was quite unusual to the girl; after all, you never sleep with shoes on. You usually don't wear them inside either, as it would track dirt and bacterias. It did nothing but add to the strangeness of the situation.

Her purple stare redirected itself to the small nightstand right beside her, on which rested a rather small, black, rectangular object that clashed with the whiteness of her surroundings. The girl took it carefully, her own pale skin and red-colored nails clashing with the object's dark color as well. Upon a small inspection, she flipped it open and pressed a small button on its side, causing some color to appear on its screens. The above one presented a blue crescent moon delimiting the left side of a light black circle, whereas the one below a menu of some kind, listing, amongst others, ' _Map_ ', ' _Rules_ ' and ' _Subjects_ ', as well as having some seemingly crossed out. Suddenly, a popping sound, followed by a party horn one resounded as confettis appeared on the top screen, as well as a few words reading: "Welcome, Elvi MacRae, to the Melancholia Experiment! Please head to the auditorium ASAP."

 **Elvi MacRae - Ultimate Naval Architect**

The girl frowned, as she had no idea what that experiment was, or why she was in that place to begin with. It sure did make the ' _Subjects_ ' option have more sense, but did that mean she was one of those subjects? Upon clicking on said option, 20 more options appeared, with only one clearly shown, reading 'Test Subject 13'. That option showed a headshot of herself, as well as a few descriptives such as her name, age, height, weight and eye color. And so it seemed she was indeed a test subject in that experiment, without ever remembering having signed up for such a thing. In fact, she didn't remember anything past going to sleep.

Shaking her head, Elvi closed the object and slipped it in her pocket, deciding that the priority would be to get out of the room first. Her heels clicked against the tiled floor as she advanced toward the end of her bed, from where she noticed a door, almost imperceptible, on the same side as her bed. It had no knob, prompting the purple-eyed girl to slightly push it, causing a click to be heard and the door to slowly creak open, unveiling a simple bathroom. It sported the same white walls, ceiling and tiled floor as the bedroom, but had a bath-shower combo on the far left, separated by a small wall from a rather long marble counter, on which rested a glass containing toothbrushes, a sink, hairbrushes and a small towel. Above it stood a gigantic mirror, although it did not rivaled the largeness of the one taking almost all the space of the opposite wall, until a small area in front of the bath, which went further than the mirror wall, making a little slightly hidden area where a simple toilet stood next to toilet paper, a small garbage bin and a closet containing towels, soaps and sanitary products.

The bathroom was quite spacious and seemed more luxurious than the bedroom, causing quite a few questions to raise within Elvi's head. However, the girl pushed back those thoughts as she took a few minutes to stare at how she looked. Her wavy pale blue hair was cut at chin-length, with left side tucked behind her ear. Her bangs, slightly swept to the right, barely brushed below her eyebrows, allowing to see her pale purple eyes, which seemed quite puzzled and tired at the moment. A black choker adorned her neck while black pearl earrings decorated her ears. She wore a pale yellow crop top, itself sporting a sweetheart neckline and thick straps. A soft, over-sized, red wool jacket left open hung around her elbows, partially hiding black high-waisted pants. The earlier-mentioned glittery red high-heeled boots completed the outfit.

Well, she might be stuck in a very strange place in a most likely extremely unwanted situation, but at least she looked good. Sighing heavily, Elvi exited the bathroom, quite puzzled about said situation. The bedroom looked very much like those in hospitals, however it had a luxurious private bathroom, although as white as the other. It was quite peculiar. Upon entering the bedroom, Elvi noticed a trunk at the end of each bed and went to inspect the one nearest to hers. Inside were replicas of the exact clothes she was wearing, neatly folded. Frowning, she turned to the other trunk, where she saw replicas of the same outfit over and over again, including a dark brown cardigan and black circle skirt. Elvi clicked her tongue, remembering the person who had tried to wake her up, to no avail. It appeared to be her new roomate, who had somehow left the room. Moreover, the trunk also strongly suggested that they were going to be stuck in that experiment for quite a while, due to the amount of clothing. And that didn't feel great. At all.

Sighing in frustration, Elvi stood up, noticing a tiny crevice in the wall beside the stranger's bed. Inspecting it, the girl realized that it was an imperceptible door, like the one leading to the bathroom. Pushing it lightly, a declic was heard as the door opened, prompting Elvi to carefully poke her head out of the room. Surely enough, this led to an hallway and therefore, a possible exit. Carefully, Elvi exited the room, observing her surrounding as she yawned again and rubbed her eyes, still not fully awake, despite the worrying situation. She did however noticed that her door had no handle, being almost imperceptible as well from the outside, but had a small, easy to miss box on the side of it, with a small screen. Elvi shrugged her shoulder, deciding it was probably used to open the door, but that it wasn't any of her worries as of right now.

The girl trudged through the white hallway, slightly uncomfortable but too tired to really put any more thoughts into it. After all, she knew she was in some kind of experiment and the only other information she wanted was how to get out of it.

Suddenly, a previously unseen door opened and slammed Elvi in the face, causing her to walk back a few steps and groan from the pain as she held her now hurt face with her hands, therefore obscuring her view.

"Oh! I'm s-so sorry! I-I didn't know you'd be t-there!" said a soft and quiet voice, filled with worry and concern.

"It's okay… " grumbled Elvi, wincing slightly from the pain before looking at the guy in front of her, who sported a very apologetic and worried look, as well as slightly wary, most likely of her possible reaction.

The boy was slightly short, as well as rather skinny. His face was slightly angular, with a a

subtly pointed chin and a small cluster of faint freckles dusting his pale coloured cheeks. Thin, pale red lips and a elven nose contributed slightly to his childish and innocent-looking style. His wide-set eyes were almond-shaped and a cool pebble grey color, having dark bags underneath them as well. His fawn brown hair hung little past his ears in neat curls, with a fringe cut mid-eyebrows. He wore a long-sleeved, striped green and light green cotton shirt, with its sleeves rolled up due to their unusual length. He wore grey shorts alongside braces, that extended vertically up his shirt and looping back around the other sides, similar to dungarees but with shorts instead of long pants, along with a large pocket at the front. Long, white and grey striped socks could be seen barely poking out of black leather boots. The boy wore many accessories, including a black leather belt with an ornate oval buckle, a warm matching grey scarf decorated by many symbols such as bats and ghosts woven within the embroidery and a few pins and badges of various things, including one of a black cat and a full moon, pinned on the shorts pockets'. Grey night-vision goggles rested on top of his head while a dark green canvas backpack was slung over his shoulders. He currently also held a black cat stuffed toy. Overall, he had a childish look, but still having a sense of mystery nonetheless.

"Just.. Door swings, hit face, no big deal, don't worry about it. I'm Elvi MacRae, who're you?"

"O-oh! I'm Casper Clarke, Ultimate Paranormal Investigator!"

 **Casper Clarke - Ultimate Paranormal Investigator**

Upon Elvi's right eyebrow raising, Casper seemed immediately embarrassed, his face reddening as he instantly grew nervous. "I-I'm sorry! I-I'm j-just out of H-hope's Peak, I-I'm used to introduce myself with m-my Ultimate…"

"Oh, no worries. I was an Ultimate as well, though it's just my job now. Naval Architect." replied Elvi, with a wave of relief hitting Casper, although he still seemed a bit tense. "Do you have any idea why we're here? Or where we are?"

"I.. I-I remember b-being k-kidnapped.." murmured the boy, hugging the his black cat plush tighter while the girl's purple eyes widened in shock.

"Kidnapped?" shrilly said the naval architect, causing Casper to take a small step back from the sudden increase in decibel, prompting her to then lower her voice, now filled with concern. "What the fuck…. Are you okay? Did they like, hurt you or something?"

Taking a small pause to think, evident by his frowning, the boy then stuttered in an uncertain voice. "I-I remember b-being t-thrown into a v-van.. B-but no b-beyond that.. I-it hurted w-when I-I w-was thrown b-but the p-pain is gone n-now…"

"Well, at least there's that." sighed the older girl, biting her cheek. "Do you have any idea why someone would kidnap you?"

"U-uhm.. Oh! T-there was this group, t-the Crescent Association I-I think, t-that asked me to j-join one of their programs, l-linked to my u-ultimate a-and I-I refused, m-my f-friends t-thought they c-couldn't be t-trusted.."

"That sure would explain it. Who were those friends? Did they know anything about that association?" inquired Elvi before Casper shook his head, his wariness having apparently increased.

"T-they're… Ghosts…" whispered the boy, anxiously waiting for her reaction.

"Oh. Were they trustworthy ghosts?"

"Y-yes…?" responded Casper, unsure about the architect's question and the not quite discernable emotion she was displaying.

"Good enough for me." nonchalantly responded Elvi, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, that Association already was shady as fuck for having kidnapped you, but if ghosts say they're untrustworthy to boot, we're in real bad shit right now." The boy looked at her, uncertain how to react, but feeling more at ease nonetheless as she continued, a curious glint sparkling in her eyes. "Is there any ghosts here, right now, that could help us out?"

"I-I can't sense any…" dejectly answered Casper, his gaze resting on the floor.

"Aaah, don't worry about it, we'll find out ourselves. And if one end up showing up, then that's just gonna be a bonus or something." proclaimed Elvi, posing a comforting hand on Casper's shoulder as she smiled widely, offering some needed reassurance to the younger boy.

After all, the naval architect didn't seem to frazzled by the whole situation, taking it surprisingly well. It didn't sound like she had been kidnapped or brought there by force, so it would definitely help her not to be so unnerved. Well, even then, being stuck in such a place was, in of itself, unnerving. Casper, on the other hand… He was very frightened. After all, he had woken up in a hospital-like room, all by himself, with none of his friends around. However, he wasn't alone anymore, and the girl seemed okay, despite their first meeting being a door to the face. Although her behaviour was strangely unconcerned, despite her questions. There was no real worry or fright in her tone, apart from the time she asked him about being hurt. And it was strange. And he couldn't ask his friends to give their opinions on her, on if he could trust her… She was the only one there.

"Oh, there's people! HI PEOPLE!" loudly exclaimed a voice, causing the duo to turn toward the source of the noise with surprised faces.

Skipping happily toward them was a small, fair-skinned girl. Her long, curly blond hair were tied into twintails on each side of her head by two big ribbons, while her fringe was cut just above her bright green eyes. She wore a knee-length, red puffy dress, which had a sweetheart neckline and some gold glitter sprayed around the skirt. White, elbow-length gloves with gold trimmings matched her white stockings. A white frilly apron with two small pockets in the front and red flats completed her outfit.

"Bedelia Sheridan, the Ultimate Tinker Fairy, is here to brighten your day!~" exclaimed the girl as she finally arrived in front of them, a big smile plastered on her face.

 **Bedelia Sheridan - Ultimate Tinker Fairy**

"A fairy?" replied Elvi, disbelief and incredulity evident in her face and voice as she leaned on the wall. Upon seeing the look on Bedelia's face however, the girl quickly let out a nervous laugh before continuing. "I never saw one before, I thought they had wings."

Her face clearly showed that she regretted saying the last part, but the childish discontent had disappeared from Bedelia's face, replaced by a big smile and a laugh. "I'm a Tinker Fairy, and Tinker Fairies traded their flying abilities with toymaking ones, obviously."

"Obviously." repeated Elvi, a slightly unsure smile plastered on her face. "So, uh, pleasure to meet you, I'm sure our days will be brightened now, if they haven't already by your sole presence. I'm Elvi MacRae, and this is Casper Clarke. We've been trying to figure out what and why the fuck we're here, and what the fuck here is, too."

"Don't swear!" immediately chastised Bedelia, childishly puffing her cheeks in childish anger, to what Elvi simply raised an eyebrow.

"Oops? Anyway, why ya here?"

"Man came to me while I was in the store to inquire of a very urgent emergency; the children at his orphanage were so sad that their belief in magic and fairies was wavering as they began to believe it was nothing but a dream. I decided to go assist the man while my brother went home with the supplies we were buying. So I left with him to go to the orphanage, but ended up falling asleep in the car for some reason and woke up here!" loudly and confidently proclaimed the girl.

Casper was bewildered, as even though it wasn't the same as his story, it still did sound similar in a way. "D-did the m-man seem s-suspicious?" wondered the boy, vaguely remembering his own kidnapping.

"My brother didn't want me to go, said he was strange. But duty called! Those children needed help!" replied Bedelia, her eyes wide.

"Well, sadly to say, well, I guess it's not sad that there's no children in need of help to regain their belief of magic and fairies, but it is sad that you have been completely and utterly duped with it." added Elvi, emitting a clicking noise.

"How can you be sure of that? Maybe we just haven't seen the children yet!" huffed the self-proclaimed fairy, glaring at the blue-haired girl.

"I guess you're right." admitted Elvi, tilting her head slightly as she shrugged. "So, uh, let's go and try to find them I suppose, it's not like we have much else to do, right Casper?"

The boy just nodded as her purple stare landed on him. This situation felt even stranger with Bedelia and her story added to the mix, but he couldn't do much against it. He was stuck there, after all, he didn't have much choice but to follow along in the hopes of finding an answer.

And so Elvi turned around but before she could even take another step further, a door opened, hitting her squarely in the face, once again.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" groaned the girl as she covered her face in pain, now crouching down as well.

"Oh shit, are you okay dude? What were you doing behind my door?" wondered the boy who had just opened said door, looking at the naval architect with a surprised look on his face.

"Hitting it with my face apparently." responded Elvi, her voice getting higher-pitched as she talked.

During this small exchange, Casper took the time to examine the man, who had exited the room opposing the paranormal investigator's. He had a diamond-shaped face, accompanied by a small rounded nose, well-defined jawbones, a small and pointed chin and small ears. His large sharp red eyes stood out easily. His dull silver hair was slicked back with gel. He wore a scruffy red t-shirt, with the words 'run with the wind' printed on the back. His black hoodie has its zipper missing along with a couple of tears while his navy blue jogging had a white outline and seemed fully intact. Black gloves covered his hands while brown work shoes adorned his feets. Lastly, a lollipop stick could be seen sticking out of his mouth.

"And what is your name, new person?" demanded Bedelia while Elvi stood back up, glaring at the door.

"I'm Caezar Romano." replied the man, his voice loud and tinted with an Italian accent.

"D-do you h-have an Ultimate?" wondered Casper, curious to see if his newfound theory was true.

"I used to be the Ultimate Freerunner, if that's what you're asking." answered Caezar, looking at the boy quizzically.

 **Caezar Romano - Ultimate Freerunner**

"Fun, now we have a common thread that unite us in our kidnapping." muttered Elvi, sighing.

"So what are we even doing here?" brashly questioned Caezar, eyeing the group with furrowed brows.

At that time, Elvi simply brandished a black, rectangular device, looking extremely unimpressed, bordering on boredom. "An experiment, duh, haven't you heard the chorus of party horns? It was truly magnificent."

"Oh, that thing? Haven't opened it." shrugged the boy as the naval architect clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"Not smart. It said to go to an auditorium or something, but that feels like the dumb thing to do so I won't." continued Elvi, putting the object back in her pocket. "Gotta visit the whole place first."

"Yeah, we gotta see if any of those children from the orphanage are also here!" pouted Bedelia, looking at Casper for approval, who just nodded.

"Children?" was the only thing that Caezar uttered, his incredulity extremely apparent.

"You never know." responded Elvi as she began to walk once again, but this time staying firmly in the center of the hallway.

"Wait, we just wake up in this strange as fuck place and you're just gonna go around like it's nothing?" rashly said Caezar, causing Elvi to turn back toward him, a surprised look on her face. "You said yourself that it's an experiment and we have no idea what kind it is. There could be a hallway with lasers coming to slice us in pieces!"

"First, how was I supposed to think that this whole place could be booby-trapped to all hell? Second, how do you know that this isn't some kind of shitty waiting room where we could also sleep? Third, ya it could be all death traps, but it could also not, only way to know is to actually go."

"They would kidnap us just to put us in a waiting room." repeated Caezar, disbelief dripping from his voice.

"I never said thinking was my forte." replied Elvi, crossing her arm as she looked away dismissively from the freerunner. "You can fuck off to do your own shit if you want, me I'm going this way."

"W-wouldn't going t-to the auditorium b-be a safer b-bet?" wondered Casper, his voice slow and slightly wary as his gaze went from Elvi to Caezar continuously.

"Oh, if that's where the people who put us here said we should go, that's probably where the children are!" exclaimed Bedelia, taking out the black device to look on the map section. "Oh, it's the other way!"

"Yeah, the way I'm not going toward on purpose." replied Elvi, shaking her head as she smiled. "I ain't going there."

"Why not?" asked Bedelia, the same question apparent on both Caezar and Casper's faces as well.

"Why would I go?" scoffed the naval architect, starting to walk backward

"Are you doing this just to spite the people who kidnapped us?" replied Caezar, shaking his head in disbelief. "You know, if there were traps, they probably put it everywhere but on the path to that auditorium so we actually go there."

"You can go there if you want, but I ain't gonna, not now at least. Also, the auditorium could be the trap, you don't know." responded the girl, turning back around and waving them away.

"Well then, go on your way! Don't come crying to us when you die or something else happens!" yelled Caezar, clearly irritated by her attitude, as the girl just shrugged, waving again before turning around a corner, a smug smile on her face.

"W-what do w-we do now?.." wondered Casper, still looking toward the corner where the girl had disappeared.

"Go to the auditorium." harshly responded Caezar, turning to walk in the opposite way.

Casper followed suit, feeling uneasy about their situation and the splitting, Bedelia bouncing up ahead to lead the way.

* * *

Elvi was all alone, once again. The hallways were still blindingly white and unsettling, reminiscent of an hospital. A very empty hospitals. After a while of walking while noticing nothing, the naval architect begrudgingly decided to approach on of the walls, trying to discern if there was more of these hidden doors. And there was in fact one near, which she hurriedly opened before anybody could by pushing it slightly.

The unveiled room was also a stark white, but contained many white laundry and drying machines lined up on each side. On the wall opposite of the door was a white chute door, next to a white shelf case holding some kind of detergents and softeners, all in white bottles with words printed in pale grey and some ironers, while on the other side of the chutes were ironing boards. A white table along with white chairs stood near the middle. The only splash of color came from a girl, currently reading the name of one of the bottles.

Her long, straight dark brown hair ended in waves at her waist, with her fringe parted to the right. She had fair white clear skin, as well as a skinny, demure and relatively tall physique. She wore a dark red top with a sweetheart neckline under a dark brown, long-sleeved cropped cardigan. A black, knee-length circle skirt was accompanied by transparent knee-high stockings and dark red flat shoes with white bows on the front of the straps. A dark red beret rested on the right side her head while a brown satchel bag was slung over her left shoulder.

Elvi recognized those clothes; they were the same that inhabited the trunk of the bed next to the one she had woken up with, which surely meant that this was the person who she had faintly heard talk to her before she had went back to sleep.

Elvi cleared her throat, effectively catching the girl's attention, letting the naval architect see her facial features when she turned around. Her light almond-shaped eyes were a light brown, decorated by winged eyeliner, butterfly lashes and mascara. Her round-shaped lips were covered by a pale pink lip gloss. Her button nose as well as her rosy red cheeks added a sense of cutesy to her. Her trimmed french manicured nails could be seen as she held the detergent, as well as a birthmark in the shape of a heart on her left wrist and a ruby gem gold bracelet on her right. Lastly, black square-framed glasses rested on her face, through which she blinked repetitively at Elvi, seeming to recognize her faintly.

"Oh! You're the girl that was sleeping on the bed next to mine! Good to see you finally woke up! Oh, I haven't introduced myself, how rude of me!" said the girl, her slight French accent powering through her friendly tone and girly voice. "Bonjour, mon nom est Juliette Beaulieu, it's a pleasure to meet you, I do hope we get along."

"Elvi MacRae, that's my name. You from France?" wondered the naval architect, eyeing the girl.

"Oh, indeed I am! I suppose my accent betrays me." lightly laughed Juliette, smiling.

"Yeah, it sure does. It's very… France-y." replied Elvi, shrugging.

"Where are you from?" questioned Juliette, tilting her head slightly.

"Canada, Quebec, more precisely. So, francophone too. How d'ya get here?" responded the blue-haired girl, biting her cheek, as she started thinking of the possible implications of their very different nationalities.

"Well, you must have made the same path to come here but after our room-"

"I meant this place as a whole not the laundry room."

"Oh." Juliette's eyes widened at the realization, before being clouded by worry as she remembered what had happened, continuing quietly. "I was asleep back at home and I was woken up by people visiting in the middle of the night. They chloroformed me, I'm pretty sure. I woke up here afterward."

"Were you in France, at that time?" wondered Elvi, her voice gentler and placing a comforting hand on Juliette's shoulder, as the girl seemed pretty shaken at the memory.

"Well, y-yeah… Why?"

"I never went to France. Pretty damn sure I was back in Quebec before being brought here, although I don't remember anything special happening between going to sleep back there and waking up here." replied the naval architect, sighing as she rubbed her temples. "So we can't be sure of the country we're in, fun."

"Well, I'm sure things will be fine!" said Juliette, seeming weirdly sure of herself. "I heard the strange people say I'd see my Roméo, so it definitely cannot be all bad!"

"W… What?" Elvi looked at the girl with wide eyes, taken aback by her comment. "Do you mean a literal or figurative Roméo?"

"I had a penpal, his name was Roméo." sighed the clearly lovesick girl, a blush creeping on her face as she smiled.

"So literal, noted. That's a very weird thing to say before chloroforming someone, but okay." replied Elvi, clicking her tongue. "Before I forget, d'you used to be an Ultimate? All the people I've met so far have been."

"Oh, yes! Ultimate Calligrapher. And you?" wondered Juliette, tilting her head once again.

 **Juliette Beaulieu - Ultimate Calligrapher**

"Boat designer. Imma go around to explore some more and maybe end up dying in a booby trap of some kind, we'll see."

As Elvi turned around to leave, her hand mid-air to wave, Juliette hurriedly put down the detergent she was holding and ran up to her, stopping only when they were right next to each other. "I'm coming with you, roomie!" proclaimed the girl, smiling widely.

This only prompted the naval architect to squint at her, before finally saying "Why?"

"We should stick together! We're both stuck here together after all and we even share a room!" explained Juliette, her wide smile turning bashful as she added, "Also, I don't wanna be alone… This place is pretty creepy…"

"Fine, if you wanna come and maybe die, it's your choice." shrugged Elvi, finally leaving the laundry room, the calligrapher right behind her.

"I'm sure we won't die! Why would we?" lightheartedly laughed Juliette, her worries having apparently disappeared. "Oh! You mentioned seeing other people?"

"Ya, all former Ultimates. They went to the auditorium."

"Oooh.. Is that where we're going?"

"Nope."

"Oh. Why?"

"No particular reason."

"Oh. Okay."

They proceed to walk in silence from then on, bordering on awkward, but not quite. Elvi was getting pretty annoyed with the blandness of the hallways, paired with their very hospital feels. She scowled as she knew she had to get near the walls to see if there were any other doors, as all those before were almost imperceptible. Begrudgingly, she approached one of the walls, looking for one of those inconspicuous doors under Juliette's curious stare. The thoughts of making the calligrapher search for the door flashed through her mind, but before she could concretize said thought, the inevitable happened.

A door slammed right into Elvi's face, once again. At that point, it was almost a miracle that her face was still intact, with no more than redness that dissipated relatively fast.

Still, it didn't stop the naval architect to groan due to the pain as the person rapidly apologized. "Oh, I'm so sorry! May the Light heal you quickly."

"Oh! I didn't know the light could heal people!" exclaimed Juliette, clearly surprised by the statement.

"Of course our lord and savior can heal." replied the newcomer with an arabic accent, a gentle smile on her face.

Elvi took a second to take a good look at the girl, once the pain slightly faded away. She had dark skin, making her light, almost pink white eyes stand out even more, themselves framed by a small pair of square glasses. Her heart-shaped face conveyed a strong sense of innocence. A black and white cowl hid most of her hair, but light pink long bangs, which covered half of her face, could be seen. Of average height, she was also very thin. She wore a loose fitting, long, ankle-length black dress. Long white gloves were decorated by a couple of bracelets while a religious necklace rested around her neck. A parasol hung over her head as brown heeled boots completed her outfit.

"Okay, whatever, I'm fine now so just introduce yourself if you please." asked Elvi, still wincing slightly.

"Oh! Pardon me. My name is Nameera Al-Kaleel." said the girl as she bowed.

"Elvi MacRae and Juliette Beaulieu. Do you happen to have had an Ultimate at one point?"

"I was the Ultimate Devote, yes."

 **Nameera Al-Kaleel - Ultimate Devote**

"And the Ultimate thread continue. How d'you get here?" wondered Elvi, lightly scratching her head.

"Oh… My father sold me to the Experiment." quietly said Nameera, looking away.

"Well, that really sucks. Oof."

"I'm so sorry." muttered Juliette, giving the devote a hug.

"It is fine, the Light will protect me." responded Nameera, a wise yet slightly sad smile appearing on her face.

"Well, sounds cool. Gotta go continue my visit of this place or whatever." sighed Elvi, ready to leave once again.

"What are you trying to find?" wondered Nameera.

"I don't know, something amazing I guess." replied the naval architect, offering an uncertain smile.

"I'm hoping to find my Romeo." added Juliette, sighing in a lovesick way.

"I certainly hope that the Light brings you what you need." calmly responded Nameera, closing her eyes as her hands formed a prayer.

"Hopefully it won't be death or traps or very bad immondous experimentations, yeah." said Elvi, bowing her head before starting to walk again with a determined step to… find what exactly? She didn't really know. An exit? She hadn't watched for doors all that well. Oh did she wish a bright EXIT sign would just flash above a door. An answer? That most likely would be at the auditorium. Just ambling around was fine for her.

Looking behind her briefly, she saw both Juliette and Nameera following close behind, the later seeming engrossed in explaining 'the Light' to the former, who nodded eagerly as she smiled.

Suddenly, screams and shouts resounded in the hallway, prompting Elvi to start running in their direction, only afterward thinking of the possibility of her running toward a danger, but still not stopping. She could hear Juliette shout after her, sounding slightly far away, but that didn't stop her sprinting. As she arrived to the source of the voice, the sight did nothing but confuse her.

"What the fuck?"


End file.
